BORON, California -- The 20 Mule Team makes an appearance in Boron.

“Teams like this were all over the United States at one time. These were the primary power source.  Before we were harnessing petroleum, we were harnessing mules," said Bobby Tanner, Owner/Driver of the "20 Mule Team."

Now, these mules harness all the attention.  They’re the famous 20 Mule Team, themselves made famous by soap "20 Mule Team Borax." It led to a TV show, “Death Valley Days,” parades, and capitol appearances.

Borax comes from Boron, which is plentiful in this part of the Mojave Desert, where the town is also named Boron.  The mineral is used in everything from treated wood to crop support, even silly putty.

“It’s kind of like the baking soda of manufacturing.  So it’s in everything from your cell phone glass to your TV screen.  There’s only a few places on earth where there’s big, deep deposits, and the one behind us in Boron is one of the largest and most rich and quality Borax in the world and that’s why we’re here and we’ve been here for 90 years digging in that location," said John Brown, Global Communications Manager of U.S. Borax.

Before the mine in Boron, these modern mules’ predecessors transported the mineral.

“The Borax company used these hitches, exactly like this, wagons exactly like this, to transport their product from Death Valley across this desert all the way to the rail head of Mojave," said Tanner.

The Borax company has been in business 145 years.  The town of Boron is celebrating their 90 years of mining here.

“It’s a great place.  We have the Borax mine out here.  We’re all practically family," said Brittany Sheridan, Miss Boron 2017.

The celebration is especially fun this year, because the 20 Mule Team is here. People love them for what they represent, but they’re also excited to see them turn corners and jump the chain.

“Our mules work, they’re happier.  They love to do this kind of stuff," said Tanner.

Tanner said there's a common misconception about mules.

“The rumors of mules being stubborn, and that kind of stuff is not true.  They’re smart.  They will stop and access a situation that you would think an animal wouldn’t be smart enough to do and so, I guess, that’s confused for stubbornness,” he said.

If you missed them in Boron, you can catch the 20 Mule Team every Memorial Day in Bishop, California.